iJust Need U
by Alyssa Andromeda Black
Summary: It all started the night of the lock-in at Ridgeway. Sam kissed Freddie, but all is not as it seems. The trio have been keeping serious secrets from each other. Can the pieces be put together in the aftermath? Can Spencer keep HER from falling apart? SPAM
1. Chapter 1

A.N. This is my first iCarly fic. I decided to write this because of the serious lack of SPAM fics out there. This is a Spencer/Sam story with a dash of Creddie and will probably last for 10 or so chapters. If you like it then show me some love ppl's! Enjoy!

iJust Need You Ch.1

_ If it wasn't for Freddork's stupid mood face app none of this would've happened! They just had to push me and then I….UGH! I can't believe I kissed that NUB! I didn't want to, I just…panicked. They thought I was in love with Brad just because I'd been hanging around with him and Freddie; I didn't really care until Carly pulled the little two-headed frog stunt, talk about embarrassing! Then the nub had to corner me; I really don't know what I was thinking. All I knew was that they couldn't find out the truth; why I'd been avoiding hanging out with Carly, why I didn't ask to work with Carly. They couldn't know who I was really in love with._

oOo

"Sorry." Sam said awkwardly. She looked at Freddie out of the corner of her eyes. The boy had a slightly dazed look on his face.

"It's cool." Said Freddie, staring at Sam in shock. The blonde ran her hands through her golden curls and sighed heavily.

"Look Freddork this meant nothing, y'got it? As far as I'm concerned in never happened so let's nev-"

"Not a chance Sam!" Freddie interrupted with a growl. "We are not playing this game again. I know you're scared and to be honest I'm a little freaked out too but I…" He ran his hand through his short brown hair and sighed. "I don't… not… like you." She narrowed her eyes dangerously and backed Freddie against the wall.

"A dream come true!" Sam snarled sarcastically. "The nub doesn't NOT like me, don't I feel so dang special! Listen up nerd and listen well, I DON'T like YOU! we will NEVER speak of this AGAIN! Do I make myself CLEAR!" She slammed her fist into the wall right next to his head. "I'm gone!" She spun on her heel and walked away from him as quickly as she could.

As Freddie sank back against the bricks, Carly came out of hiding and put her hand on his shoulder. He jumped, eye's flying wide open, expecting to see Sam's angry face in front of him but sighed in relief when he saw who it was.

"Well it's definitely not Brad she's in love with." Carly murmured quietly.

Freddie looked at the brunette tiredly and ran his hands over his face.

"She's not in love with me either Carly. I don't know what the hell that was, but she wasn't kidding when she said she didn't like me." Carly interrupted before he could continue.

"She had her lips all over you Freddie! Obviously you're the one she's in love with." Carly's mouth drew into a tight line and her eyes darkened. Freddie watched her in confusion.

"Are you… _jealous _Carls?" he asked, eyes sparkling with amusement. The girl huffed and crossed her arms as she stared at the wall. When she didn't answer, he poked her lightly in ribs. "Caaaarly don't ignore me!" He whined.

No Response.

"Caaaaaarls…c'mon." He poked her a second time, then a third and a fourth before she turned her eyes to him and gave him a glare that would've made Sam proud.

"Why wouldn't I be Freddie? I just saw my best friend kiss MY BOYFRIEND and what did said boyfriend do?" She jabbed a bony finger into his chest. "I'll tell you what he did! He acted all cheaty and said _I don't NOT like you. _How am I supposed to be feeling right now?" She screeched.

Freddie sighed and wrapped his surprisingly strong arms around her tiny waist, pulling her against his chest. She struggled to get out of his hold but soon found that it was impossible and settled for standing stiffly in his arms.

"C'mon Carls you know I'm not into Sam like that. I just didn't want to hurt her feelings." He kissed the top of her head. " And you can't blame Sam. It's not like we've told anyone we're going out." He mumbled bitterly.

It had been Carly's idea to date in secret. The only thing he could figure was that she was either afraid of his mother or ashamed to be with him publicly. Either way he wasn't happy about it. Carly sighed against his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck. She knew he was upset that she wanted to keep their relationship a secret and she felt terrible for hurting him but she was afraid. She didn't know how anyone would react and even though she wished it didn't matter, the opinions of others were very important to her.

"Should we go look for Sam?" He mumbled into her ear. She shook her head lightly.

"No. She's too upset right now, We'll talk to her in the morning." She kissed his cheek lightly. "We'll tell her everything, and then we'll tell everyone else." She felt his body tense up.

"Really?" He asked, hopeful. She smiled softly and nodded her head. Happiness bubbled up in Freddie's chest. He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you Carly." He dug his hands into her hair and pulled her into a breathtaking kiss.

"Love you too Freddie" she mumbled against his lips. They pulled apart just as Gibby came barreling through the door, shirtless and panicked.

"Carly! Spencer escaped!" He hollered as he skidded to a halt in front of the couple.

"What do you mean he escaped Gibby?" She squaked.

"And what happened to your shirt?" Freddie asked calmly.

oOo

Sam stormed through the halls of Ridgeway toward the exit. To hell with the lockdown, she was outta there! When she reached the locked double doors she barely batted an eye as her converse covered foot slammed into the metal surface, sending the doors flying open. She walked out into the cool night air and started toward Bushwell before she thought better of it and turned to make the long trip to her own home.

She never noticed the tall figure watching her from one of the classroom windows.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. Only 2 reviews? I feel so unloved. ;) I hope you all like this chapter. I'm going to try and keep a fair amount of humor so that it doesn't get to dark and/or sappy. Review plz! 3

iJust Need You Ch.2

Spencer watched Sam walk out of the school from the window of the classroom he was hiding out in. He could tell she was upset, her tense shoulders and clenched fists a dead give away.

She walked onto the sidewalk, headed toward his apartment but stopped almost immediately and turned, walking in the opposite direction. That's when he worried. She always went to his place when she was upset. Did she have a fight with Carly? He yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and started texting the blonde.

_**Hey kiddo, where u goin?**_

He waited for almost five minutes before she responded.

_**Home. **_

He made a face.

_**But you never go home… at least not when there's a fresh package of ham in my fridge ;)**_

Spencer was sure that would get her. He kept watching out the window, waiting to see her walk by again, only toward his place.

_**Not hungry. **_

He sucked in a sharp breath. Something was seriously wrong if Sam was turning down ham.

_**What happened Sam? **_

_**Nothing. I just have to be away for a while. **_

_**Come back and talk to me kiddo.**_

The next text came back so fast it startled him.

_**I'm NOT a kid! **_

He had to admit she was right. As much as he tried to deny it, he found himself staring at her a lot lately. She'd blossomed into a stunning young woman, even though she was only sixteen.

_**I know that Sam. **_

Another ten minutes passed with no response so he sent her another text.

_**If you wont come back here will you at least go to my place so I know you're safe? Please.**_

A few seconds later, his phone started ringing. A quick glance at the caller ID told him it was Sam. He pressed the answer button and put the phone to his ear.

"Sa-"

"No." she interrupted. "I c-can't go there, not now." He heard the hitch in her breath and knew she'd been crying.

"Sam what's going on? Did you have a fight with Carly?" He knew it had to have been bad if she was this upset. "You shouldn't be walking around by yourself in the middle of the night, especially when you're this upset. I'm coming to get you."

"I'm already home and I don't want to talk. Goodnight Spence." The phone went dead before he could say anything else.

He heaved a heavy sigh and ran a hand though his shoulder length hair. He didn't know what had happened but he knew it wasn't good. He decided he would let her sort herself out tonight and tomorrow he would drag her to his place, kicking and screaming if he had to, and get to the bottom of this mess.

oOo

After Gibby had come to tell of Spencer's escape, Carly and Freddie spent two hours scouring the school looking for him. They had eventually found him hiding in an unused classroom at the front of the school. He was crouched in the shadows and when Carly came into the room he couldn't help screeching in a very unmanly fashion and making a run for the door. She had managed to catch up, grabbing hold of one of his lanky arms and trying to drag him back to the stimulus chamber. He dug his feet into the floor and resisted with all his strength.

"Your not putting me back in that torture chamber!"

"Stop being such a baby Spencer! We have to finish our project," Carly said and gave a firm tug on his arm, "Now come on!"

Freddie rounded the corner and chuckled at the scene in front of him.

"You're better off not resisting Spence. She wont leave you alone until she gets her way."

"Not a chance!" Spencer shook his head violently. "That box is EVIL!"

Carly threw her hands up.

"Ugh fine! I'm so not in the mood for this!" She crossed her arms and pouted.

Spencer's expression went serious and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"What happened with Sam tonight Carls?" He noticed Freddie and Carly both tensed at his question. Carly looked at her feet, not knowing what to say.

"It's a long story Spence." Freddie stepped up and grabbed Carly's hand.

"We have all night." Said Spencer firmly, drawing up to his full height and crossing his arms over his broad chest. Freddie decided the man was definitely scary when he was towering over you like that.

Freddie told him everything with the occasional input from Carly. By the end, Spencer was rubbing his temples. Partially to fight the oncoming migraine but mostly to distract himself from the flood of jealousy that washed over him.

"What a mess." He mumbled. "Well she went home a while ago so there's nothing to be done tonight. Let's go finish up your projects so we can go home."

oOo

The next morning Carly, Freddie and Spencer left when the lock-in officially ended at seven. They were exhausted, and understandably so. The night had been drama times ten, and now all they wanted to do was sleep. They piled into Spencer's car and headed toward Bushwell. No one had seen Sam in six hours.

"Shouldn't we be worried that Sam never came back last night?" asked Freddie.

"She's at home." Spencer glanced at Freddie and Carly in his rearview mirror. "She sent me a text when she got there."

"Oh…ok." Freddie said slowly.

"Why would she text you Spencer?" Carly chimed in rudely.

"Because I saw her leave and asked her where she was going. She let me know when she got home." Spencer turned up the radio , making it obvious that the conversation was over.

When they got to Bushwell, They went their separate ways, Freddie went home to get some much-needed sleep and Carly and Spencer went to their loft. Carly went straight to bed with a mumbled goodnight but Spencer headed straight for the shower.

Shampooed, shaved and freshly dressed, Spencer grabbed his keys and left the apartment.

The drive to Sam's place wasn't too long and he wanted some time to plan so he stopped at Skybucks along the way and grabbed some coffee. As much as he wanted a plan, he had nothing. He pulled into her parking garage and, deciding to wing it, chugged the rest of his coffee and headed to the elevator.

The door opened on the sixth floor and he made his way to 6-B, Sam's apartment. He gave three loud knocks before he heard her stomping to the door.

"This had better be important!" She hollered as she yanked the door open violently.

"What the hell d'you wa-" Her yelling screeched to a halt when she saw him. "Spence?" she said, confused.

"You're coming with me." He said sternly, grabbing her by the wrist and tugging her toward the elevator.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. What goes on ppl? A big thanks to my reviewers, I'm glad you guys are digging the story so far.

_Italics = thoughts_

iJust Need You Ch. 3

"Uh Spence?" Sam said as he dragged her toward the elevator. He didn't respond. "Spence?" Still nothing. "SPENCER SHAY!" Startled, Spencer dropped her hand and spun around.

"Ah! What?" He stared at her with wide eyes.

Sam rolled her baby blues and gestured toward her body.

"Can I at least put on some clothes before you drag me off into the sunset?"

Spencer's eyes bulged out of his head as he raked his gaze over her body. The blonde had on nothing but a pair of purple panties and a black tank top.

"GAH!" Spencer slapped his hands over his eyes. "Why are you wearing nothing but panties to answer the door?"

Sam flushed and stomped her bare foot on the cold wooden floor.

"You know I hate that word!"

"Well too bad! Panties! Panties! Panties!" Spencer grabbed her by the wrist again and dragged her back to her apartment.

They walked through the door and headed straight for Sam's room. Sam walked through her door and turned to face Spencer. He had been walking so close that he barely managed to keep from running into her.

"You wait out here." She said before shutting the door in his face.

She walked over to her bed and plopped down on the edge, her head falling into her hands.

_What was with Spencer's reaction to seeing me in my underwear? I though he would at least get in a good eyeful before he freaked but he seemed more annoyed than anything. Maybe he really doesn't think I'm attractive at all. Can't say I'm surprised, what would a guy like that see in a girl like me. _

Her throat tightened up, threatening oncoming tears. She hated that the thought of him not liking her hurt so much. She took a few shaky breaths and tried to get her emotions under control.

A pounding on her bedroom door startled her.

"Move it Puckett! I don't have all day y'know!"

Sam forced her body off of the bed and started grabbing clothes off of the floor, throwing on whatever passed the sniff test.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Don't get your britches in a bunch Spence."

"Britches? You seriously hate the word Panties that much?"

She shoved her feet into a pair of black chuck taylors and stomped to the flimsy, white door. She yanked it open, reached out and smacked Spencer upside the head before he realized what was going on.

His hands flew up to his scalp, rubbing at it vigorously.

"Yeeeouch! What the heck was that for?"

"I told you I hate that word." She grabbed hold of his hand and led him out of the apartment.

oOo

They got into the elevator and headed to the parking garage in silence. Spencer hadn't pulled his hand away yet so Sam kept hers as still as she could; She wanted this moment to last as long as possible. Spencer's hand was huge compared to hers but she thought they fit together perfectly.

When they reached the car Spencer finally realized they were still holding hands. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked down at their clasped fingers.

_It is SO not right for me to be having these feelings. She's only sixteen Spencer and you're a twenty-eight year old man, get a hold of yourself!_

"So where are you taking me Spencer?"

He looked down at the petite blonde and pulled his hand away.

"Just get in the car Sam."

She was confused by his somber mood. His mouth was turned down in a tense frown and his eyes were guarded. Spencer had the tendency to be a little moody sometimes but not usually with her.

_Maybe he's mad about me leaving the lock-in last night. He was probably worried about me walking home alone. _

Sam slid into the passenger seat without a fight, determined to keep her mouth shut until she knew what was going on. Spencer jumped behind the wheel, started the engine and pulled onto the streets of Seattle.

They drove for several minutes before Spencer broke the silence.

"Carly and Freddie filled me in on what happened last night."

Sam hunched her shoulders and glared out the window.

"Of course that nub wouldn't keep his damn mouth shut!"

Spencer reached over and put his hand on her knee, ignoring his racing heart.

"Sam…"

Her face was flushed and her stomach was in knots.

"Look it didn't mean anything okay!" She turned to face him. "I don't like Freddie like that."

"I know." He murmured.

"Y-you d-do?"

Her heart thundered violently in her chest and her knee was on fire under his strong hand and dear god she hoped he didn't stop touching her.

"Yeah Freddie said the same thing actually. He's convinced that you don't have feelings for him."

Spencer pulled into the parking garage at Bushwell and killed the engine.

"But what I can't figure out is why you would put the moves on the kid if he's not the one you're in love with."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Sam slid out of the car and made her way to the elevator. Spencer sighed and jumped out of the car, locking the doors and quickly catching up to her.

They walked into the elevator in silence. Sam pressed the well-worn button for the eighth floor and leaned against the wall, looking everywhere but at the man next to her. Spencer shoved his hands into the pockets of his black skinny jeans and bit his lip as he tried to come up with a plan to get Sam to talk to him. It was obvious that she wasn't going to talk to Freddie or Carly and he really couldn't picture her confiding in her mother so he was determined to be the one she confided in. He didn't like that she was hurting, and it was obvious that she was. The fact that she hadn't demanded food yet was a testament to that. A part of him wished that she would confide in Carly, only because a big part of him really didn't want to know who she was in love with. The jealousy he felt when he found out she kissed Freddie came as such a shock, and the desire he had felt this morning when he saw her so underdressed scared the hell out of him. Here he was, a grown man, lusting after a sixteen year-old girl.

_No! I am NOT lusting after her. _

Spencer pulled his hands from his pockets and ran them through his hair as the elevator doors opened into his apartment. He gestured for Sam to go ahead of him and followed her into the kitchen.

She dropped into a chair at the kitchen table and stared down at her lap. They stayed in an awkward silence for several minutes before Spencer decided it would be best to start by feeding the brooding blonde. Food always made her happy so he figured it wouldn't hurt to butter her up. He shuffled about the kitchen, making them each a big sandwich stacked high with ham, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato. After setting the plates onto the table, he cut a lemon and dropped a couple of wedges into two tall cups of iced tea before making his way to his seat.

Sam looked up when Spencer passed her a glass of tea, noticing the giant ham sandwich in front of her for the first time. She couldn't help the tiny smile that bloomed on her face.

It was that smile and the sparkle that came into her eyes that was Spencer's undoing.

_Definitely not lust…_


	4. Chapter 4

A.N. Let the Spammy goodness begin. There will be a dash of Creddie here and there as well. Don't forget to review! 3

iJust Need You Ch 4

The tense atmosphere diminished a bit during their quiet meal. When they were finished, Spencer decided that talking could wait. He was still kind of freaked out about the feelings he was having toward Sam all of the sudden. He'd cared for her for forever it seemed, and thought of her as a close friend of _his_ for at least a year but he had just started to see her as a woman in the last couple of weeks. It wasn't the acknowledgement that she had indeed blossomed into a beautiful woman that scared him. It was the intense desire, the pounding of his heart, the hurricane of butterflies in his stomach whenever she brushed against him that had just begun. Spencer knew what he was feeling wasn't right, at least not so far as society was concerned. If he acted on his feelings, he could go to jail. Even knowing that, when he looked at her he felt like it just might be worth it.

_This is stupid. It's not like she'd ever be in to me anyways, probably thinks I'm old and not…boyfriend material._

Spencer and Sam dropped onto the couch and propped their feet on the coffee table.

"Celebrities Underwater?" Spencer asked, grabbing the remote.

"No way! That show bites. How about Meat TV?"

"Meat TV Sam? That sounds booooring...and kinda dirty…" Spencer wrinkled his nose as his mind fell straight into the gutter.

Sam looked over and knew right away what was on his mind by the look on his face. She leaned in close.

"Pervert." Her lips brushed his ear when she whispered her insult. Chills ran down Spencer's spine. He didn't notice when she got so close to him but he did know he was liking it a little too much. He turned his head to look at her, his nose bumping hers softly.

"Am not." He whispered.

Sam felt his breath ghost over her trembling lips. Her heart slammed into her rib cage so hard she was positive it was going he beat right out of her chest. All she had to do was lean, just slightly and her lips would be on his. She moved her gaze from his mouth to his eyes and got caught in his intense stare.

He watched her closely. She was staring at his lips as if she were in a trance.

_Move back Spencer! This can't happen, you can't take advantage of her._

He had almost leaned away, almost put an end to it, and then she looked into his eyes and he was drowning in deep, blue pools with no hope of escape.

They both leaned, lips a breath away.

"Hey Spencer, what's for…" Carly froze at the foot of the stairs and looked at her brother and best friend in shock. "…lunch."

Spencer jerked back from Sam and looked guiltily at his little sister. Sam quickly took control of the situation.

"Well did you see anything Spence? I really feels like there's an eyelash stuck in there." Sam rubbed her eye while looking back at Carly. "Hey Carls. What goes on?"

Carly gave Sam a tense smile and walked into the kitchen.

"I was going to ask you guys the same thing. For a second there I thought the two of you were about to kiss or something." The brunette forced out a chuckle. "Good to know he was just checking your eye for a rogue eyelash."

Spencer was spazzing out. Why didn't he consider that Carly might come down the stairs? He was lucky that Sam could lie so well or else they would've had some serious explaining to do. Sam turned back to him after she greeted Carly.

"Well? Did you see anything?" She leaned her pretty blonde head toward him again and gave him a look that clearly said to play along.

He cupped her cheek in one calloused hand and pulled her lower eyelid down with the other.

"Found it!" He shouted a little too loudly. He made a show of poking his finger into her eyeball and swiping out the non-existent, wayward eyelash.

Sam swatted at him after the rough treatment.

"Geez Spencer I said get the lash not gouge my eye out."

"Anyways." Carly interrupted as she sat down next to Sam. "Do you want to tell me why you were all over Freddie last night?"

Spencer stared at his sister. He knew she was upset that Sam had kissed her boyfriend, but he was surprised that she was being so cold toward her even though Sam had no idea they were together.

Sam flushed and stood angrily.

"I was NOT all over him!" She shouted at the brunette.

Carly stood and pointed her finger right in Sam's face. "Well your lips certainly were!"

"It didn't mean anything! I just wanted him to shut up and leave me alone!"

"So the only way you could think of to shut Freddie up was to shove your mouth onto his?" Carly shouted.

"What's your problem anyways? This has nothing to do with you Carly!"

Spencer knew the situation was way out of hand. He knew that he needed to put a stop to it before one of them said something they would truly regret. He stood and moved to walk between them but it was too late.

"It has everything to do with me you dirty little boyfriend stealer!" Carly slapped her hand over her mouth and stared at Sam wide-eyed. She had _really_ not meant to say that.

Sam and Spencer froze at Carly's out burst.

"Boyfriend stealer? But I didn't…" Sam snapped her head up to look at Carly. "You and Freddie are _dating_?"

Carly couldn't find her voice so nodded her head slightly.

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" Sam was genuinely hurt. She thought that the three of them were best friends. That they kept something this big from her…

The blonde rounded on Spencer.

"Did YOU know about this too?" She hoped that he hadn't kept her in the dark too. Spencer put his hand on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"No. They just told me this morning."

Sam was relived that Spencer hadn't been part of this. She turned back to Carly, hoping to understand why they thought they had to keep their relationship a secret from her.

"Why?" she asked quietly. "I thought I was your best friend Carls, why wouldn't you guys tell me about this?"

Before Carly could answer, the door opened and Freddie walked in.

"Hey what goes…" Freddie paused, noticing the icy tension in the room. "on?"


	5. Chapter 5

iJust Need U Ch 5

A/N: Sorry it took a while to update. Busy busy. I realize this chapter is a little heavy, I'm going to ease up the drama in the coming chapters. Please review and enjoy my little Spamlets

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Freddie froze mid-step and looked at the faces of everyone in the room. Carly was wide-eyed and pale and her lower lip trembled slightly. She looked like she was going to burst into tears any moment. Next he looked at Sam, flushed and trembling. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, her normally full lips were mashed together in a tight line and her big blue eyes were shining with unshed tears. The girls were obviously hurting, badly and he didn't know what he should do. He glanced to the last occupant of the room and flinched back. Spencer's jaw was clenched tightly and his brow was drawn down into an angry line over his narrowed, flashing eyes. He was looking from Carly to Freddie with an irritated, disappointed expression.

Carly broke the silence with a heavy sob as she flung herself into Freddie's arms. He pulled her tightly to his chest and rubbed his hands up and down her back in an attempt to calm her down.

"Would someone mind telling me what's going on?" Freddie asked quietly. He glanced to the others in the room but Spencer had focused his attention on Sam and the blonde was still staring at the floor. Freddie looked away from Spencer and Sam to glance at Carly who was still crying quietly into his chest. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her gently away so that he could look into her eyes. "I need you to fill me in here Carly. What in the world is going on?"

The brunette looked at the floor and mumbled quietly. "I t-told Sam about… us."

Sam had calmed down a bit and pulled away from Spencer to watch the exchange between her two best friends. Once Carly told Freddie that Sam knew the truth, the boy paled considerably and turned to the blonde.

"Listen Sam, last night I… I'm sor..."

"Save it nub, I already told you it didn't mean anything." The blonde growled at Freddie viciously.

He scowled at the insult. "Jesus Sam! Why the hell are you so upset then?"

"Maybe I'm upset because my two best friends have been dating behind my back! How would you feel if I did that to you guys huh? How did you feel Carly, when you found out that me and Freddie kissed and didn't tell you?"

Freddie and Carly stayed quiet at Sam's outburst. They looked at her with guilty eyes but they said nothing. Carly remembered how hurt she was when she had found out about their kiss only after Sam had been pumped full of 'Wacky Gas'. She truly felt bad for wanting to keep hers and Freddie's relationship a secret in the first place.

"Why would you keep something like this from me?" Sam's voice was so small and so hurt, like nothing they had ever heard from her.

She waited, for an apology, an excuse, anything! But they just stared at her guiltily and that was probably the worst thing they could've done in that moment. Sam was hurt and furious and so ready to walk out of there and never look back.

"I'm outta here." Said Sam as she made a break for the front door.

Spencer bounded across the room and grabbed the blonde by the wrist, halting her escape. He'd be damned if the trio was going to leave things like this and he'd be damned if he was going to let her go suffer alone.

"I don't think so kiddo." He said, trying to pull her back to the couch. She dug her heels into the floor, refusing to budge.

"Let me go Spencer." She said quietly, keeping her eyes on her toes.

"No can do shortcake. You three need to sort this out." He looked pointedly to each of the teenagers. "Now all of you sit down."

Carly and Freddie sat on the couch without protest but Sam stubbornly remained standing in her place halfway between the door and her two best friends. The blonde looked up at Spencer through narrowed eyes. She needed to escape! And he wouldn't let her.

"I said LET ME GO." Sam growled, swinging her free hand toward Spencer's face. He caught it mid strike and glared down at her. He wasn't surprised that she lashed out, in fact he was expecting it. She stared up at his towering form with wide, shocked eyes. She wasn't used to not hitting her mark, or being over powered for that matter.

"No Sam." He said firmly and jerked her toward the equally surprised forms of Carly and Freddie. He dropped into the last space left on the sofa and pulled Sam onto his lap. The other two teenagers continued to gawk silently at the scene in front of them.

The blonde flushed prettily as her heart beat sped up. She couldn't believe that he was holding her like this, as if he liked her. Maybe like she liked him. She felt a warmth spreading through her body as she thought this, and had almost let herself melt into his embrace when he locked his arms around her, trapping her own against her sides.

"There, now you aren't going anywhere until this is settled." He said angrily. She was abruptly jerked out of her warm, fluffy fantasy world and into harsh, cold reality. His embrace was tense and dominating, not warm and romantic.

_Stupid Sam. Of course he doesn't like you, why would he?_

She really hated reality sometimes.

Sam decided that it was pointless to try and fight anymore and sat quietly, staring down at her lap.

"Right," Spencer said with authority. "Someone start talking."

They all sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. The only sound in the loft was the tick tock of the meatball wall clock in the kitchen.

"Look Sam," said Carly as she stood, "it was my idea not to tell anyone. It's not like you were the only person we didn't tell." She said shakily as she ran a hand through her shiny brown hair. Freddie stood and took his girlfriend's hand.

"We weren't trying to hurt anyone, Sam. We just wanted to be together without having to deal with other people's input for a little while. We're sorry." Freddie said earnestly.

Sam knew that they were trying to reassure her that it was nothing personal, nothing against her, but she just didn't see it that way and it hurt all the more that they didn't see how they were only hurting her more.

"So what your saying is that there's no difference between keeping this kind of secret from me and keeping it from everyone else you know? I thought I was your best friend, I thought I was a little more important to you guys than the rest of Seattle." Sam slumped back against Spencer and closed her eyes. She was tired and totally ready for this conversation to be over.

Carly stepped forward. "Why do you always do that? Why do you always have to try and find a way to make everything about you?" Freddie put a hand on Carly's delicate shoulder.

"Carls, enough."

"No Freddie! I'm sick of this," She turned back to Sam, "I didn't want to tell anyone because I wanted to enjoy being in love with my boyfriend without the high school drama for a little bit. I didn't want to tell YOU because I didn't want either of us to be ridiculed every time we so much as look at each other! You wanted the truth, well now you have it!" Carly took a step toward Sam who was still looking at her lap. "Are you happy now? Why couldn't you just accept our apology and drop it?"

Spencer had unknowingly loosened his grip during Carly's rant and Sam took the opportunity to stand and face the other girl.

"Geez Carls, I didn't know you thought so lowly of me. I'm happy for you both, really."

"Look, maybe we need to cool off for a while ." Carly said, still upset. She turned on her heel and headed for the door. "C'mon Freddie let's go see a movie or something."

"That okay with you Spence?" asked Freddie.

"Yeah. Back by ten." The older man mumbled.

Freddie looked up at Spencer but the older man was looking at Sam with so much worry, and, dare he say it, love that Freddie was left speechless. He moved his gaze to Sam, the blonde was staring at her feet and had her arms wrapped around her trembling body. She was silent, but Freddie could see her tears falling like raindrops from her chin to the hard floor below. He turned back to Carly, grabbed her hand and left the loft quietly.

Spencer heard the soft click of the door and knew that they were alone. He wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not.

He was sure that he couldn't stand seeing her there, crying silently and holding herself as if she were trying to give herself comfort. He would bet that she suffered silently and alone all of the time and he hated it. No way in hell was he was going to let her suffer like this right in front of him. Spencer was at her side in two strides. He pulled her petite form into his arms roughly, buried his face in her mess of golden curls and rocked her lightly from side to side, making gentle shushing noises.

"It'll be okay shortcake, you'll see."


	6. Update AN

Hello lambs! I haven't been on in sooooo long! I've been reading all of the reviews and messages that you guys send to me and it makes me so happy that you enjoy these stories. It's been a rough couple of years, dear readers, but your continued support is inspirational. I'll be updating all of my incomplete stories over the next few weeks, starting with Perpetual Darkness. It will take some time, mind, I'm currently in University full time aaaaaaand I'm working on a novel! I'll let you guys join me in the process for sure! I hope that you will all love my original characters and stories as much as you love what I've done in my work here. All my love, my darlings! Stay tuned for updates!

3 A.A.B


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